Entries by TATIANA

Have I written about the Met Gala on here before? I think I mentioned it a few years ago. Well anyhow, the Met Gala is a yearly fashion event where the fashion crowd and whatever other individuals that are on Anna Wintour's current worthy to attend the event list get invited. Lots of kooky looks and ensembles that barely pass as fashionable or beautiful (in my opinion). Every year there is a theme (just like Burning Man) and this year the theme was American Independence. Not sure if the theme was followed for the most part, did not look like it to me but whatever.
Let's see.....here are who got on MY beautiful list of the attendees and some of them I've never heard of and I am somewhat in the loop (or at least so I think).
Kendall Jenner's dress was beautiful and fit her well. I like her body and that dress complimented her figure. Gemma Chan looked good, Anok Yai looked beautiful, I very much like the dress she wore (I want that dress) and the jewelry paired with it, Karlie Kloss's dress was fierce, Emily Blunt I approve of, Iman although looking like she belong at Carnival in Rio pulled it off and looked gorgeous, Keke Palmer reminded me of Diana Ross back in the day and the dress looked good and looked good on her, Amanda Gorman wore an amazing dress (I want that dress as well), Yara Shahidi looked good, I liked Irina Shayk's pretty dress and I think that she is very pretty in general. Rihanna absolutely stunning and beautiful as always, Jennifer Hudson's dress was a yes, Megan Thee Stallion looked better than I have ever seen her, keep it classy Megan it looks nice on you. I liked Khelani's pant suit (but a no on the hair). Normani's dress was so gorgeous. Joan Smalls - WOW timeless and gorgeous. KiKi Layne wore a beautiful dress and so did Laura Harrier. A pink pretty princess gown on Carey Mulligan. Gabrielle Union's dress was futuristic and interesting. And Imaam Hamman's was a starry mermaid kind of dress, definitely my taste. Julia Garner a yes as well. A sleek and sexy Prada get up on Gigi Hadid. I have a soft spot for Prada.
Now to the WTFs and NOs. Yes I KNOW it is fashion and I am sure people gave out fake compliments to each other non stop. But I will keep it real.
Kim K. OK whatever, trying to look inspired by the ex hubby (are they still married?) to be original and whatever else she is trying to achieve, maybe mysterious? To me it just looked bad. Like a new way for women to wear the burqa. Cover every inch up. Feels about right in these times when women's rights in Afghanistan are basically gone.
Rihanna's BF wore a giant quilt, not a good look. Tessa Thompson fail. Serena Williams looked like she belonged at the annual Players Ball and not arriving as the Player. Wearing a pimp cape and a body stocking underneath with heels to match. Girls I work with wear better outfits. Ciara....the dress would had looked so much better without the giant number 3 plastered all over the front, Billie Eilish looked like a stuffed pastry puff, wrong color dress and wrong fit for her, Lil Nas X WHAT?, channeling a character from Star Wars or? A WHAT to Naomi Osaka as well. Barbie Ferreira reminded me of a chandelier (also Barbie, like is that her real name?), Jeremy O. Harris posing with a gross cigarette (I guess posing with cigarettes was a thing at this year's Met) in that yellow safety jacket tent gets a big NO (an extra NO for the cigarette), Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello looked tacky, he needed a shirt and her outfit belonged at the Rio Carnival plus a bad fit for her body, Kim Petras tried to do a Björk swan dress by wearing a horse dress, Eva Chen's dress reminds me of what the TV screen looked like back in the day in Sweden when the programs were done for the evening, Grimes....I am torn, I like the dress but the sword is a no and the boots no as well.....belongs on an episode of Game of Thrones. Lourdes Leon absolutely terrible, nobody cares that you have armpit hair, like it is truly not a big deal and that whole posing with your tongue out is so tacky and thirsty. That belongs on a low budget OF account, also dress did not fit and looked like a Bollywood outfit. And her hair also a NO.
Yes, I know the Met Gala is about fashion and fashion can be crazy and different but some things just don't look good. For ex Lady Gaga's disgusting meat dress back in the day.
Or posing with your tongue hanging out of your mouth. Read up on "ahegao" to understand why so many women think it is "cute" somehow to do that and think they look sexy while doing it.
Then there was the presence of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known by her initials AOC. First of all I do not think she should be at the Met Gala at all. For many different reasons. Mainly because a ticket to the gala is around 30K and a table is way more than that, I do not think a politican has any business spending that kind of money while doing public service. Stick to your field. And yes I know that she most likely did not pay for the dress (I sure hope not) or the ticket to attend.
She wore an all white dress with red letters that spelled out Tax The Rich. I hope she approached the rich at the Met Gala to explain to them face to face her reasoning behind that statement. I am ALL for taxing the rich. That includes AOC, since she is making a good living nowadays. So I do not oppose that message. But I am also all for standing up for your beliefs and not being a hypocrite. Therefore I hope that AOC stood up for her beliefs at the Met by approaching the rich all night long about paying more in taxes.
Overall I think that the Met Gala is lame. And way overpriced. Do they donate to charity at least? I prefer watching the now retired annual Victoria's Secret Show (way cuter outfits) over the celebs strutting down the red carpet at the Met Gala hoping to get a nod of approval from Anna Wintour.
Check out my very cute outfit at this year's Burning Man aka Renegade Burn! I got the poncho at a thrift store in Astoria OR (The Underground Shops) for $10. Great price and super cute! My shoes I got at Target especially to wear only at Burning Man.

Some necessities at Burning Man. This year was different from previous years....no porta potties (some people brought their own), no Center Camp Cafe (bring your own coffee), no to a lot of stuff from previous years. This year was basically all about bringing everything you need. Do not rely on others. At all. Which is what Burning Man is about. It is part of the 10 Principles. Radical Self Reliance. BUT I borrowed a ratchet from my neighbors....so it is all about helping each other as well, of course.
Even though I had a camper trailer with a toilet inside I decided to not use that toilet.
After a few days of using an RV toilet in desert heat it starts smelling pretty bad. There was a general concern for how to poop out there this year since the porta potties would not be there. People were talking about bringing 5 gallon buckets and cat litter.....great idea I thought. So I got some buckets and cat litter. And dog poop bags. Having your own toilet instead of breathing in the stench inside a hot porta potty (BLERGH seriously) felt great and so much more hygienic. Double bag the results. And of course transport all the poop with you, bagged in a double trash bag. This is how I am going to do it from now on!
No more porta potties.....I have to put essential oil on a bandana and cover my nose with it before going inside one of them. Wear an outfit only to be worn inside the porta potties and make sure no part of it touches anything, it is a whole ordeal for me. No more of that torture.



For pee all I need is empty water jugs and a funnel. No problems here either. The jugs get taken all the way home and emptied into the toilet.



Coffee is another necessity, I tried a cold brew from Trader Joes which was very good.



I drink one bottle of Gerolsteiner each day out on the Playa and I like to cut up cucumbers and eat them with salt.

I came back from Burning Man the other day. The theme this year, well there was no theme because Burning Man as it's known was actually postponed until next year. But the people decided to go ahead and have their own Burning Man and decided to call it Renegade Burn. Of course I needed to be there!
The journey to Black Rock Desert took longer than I planned (of course). That's kind of the way it goes every time. There are about 480 miles from Portland to Gerlach NV and then you continue down Highway 34 for 12 miles as well. I had a camper to pick up and pack, then there are several stops for gas and rest etc until you FINALLY reach the destination......



Somewhere between Portland and Gerlach.



A setting sun.



Only 87 miles left to Gerlach!



Pretty mural in Cedarville.



I have many more pictures from Renegade Burn to come.....!

This is one of my fave murals in Portland....it is gorgeous. And that is not green color on top it is an actual growing plant. Amazing. Can you see me standing there in front of it?



Since about a week now I have noticed that fall is in the air. It is still warm....it has been a very warm and at times a very hot summer here but it has cooled down at night. So yes colder weather and rain is around the corner.
Another thing I have to mention is Afghanistan. What a TERRIBLE situation. I have been getting most of my news from over there from BBC and Der Spiegel. I feel bad. What else is there to say? Poor everybody involved in that mess over there. I wish things were not unfolding this way.

This week I did my receptionist volunteering thing, I usually do that once a week. I get free coffee and get to read interesting magazines. A story on Hans Christian Andersen in this magazine, one of the saddest fairy tales I know is "The Little Match Girl". I have actually cried reading it.



And I finally made a forever home for my 2019 playa dust. I kept the dust (a very fine sand) in a plastic container until today. My procrastination is real, this project took almost two years.....
The Burning Man 2019 art theme was Metamorphoses, "a celebration of change, and an exploration of uncertainty. Memory is fickle, and the future is uncertain".
Interesting huh? Cause not too long after that COVID-19 swept across the globe and there was no official Burning Man in 2020 and this year's event is postponed until 2022....but not really. So, am I going to Burning Man this year? There is only one way you will find out. Keep on reading my blog! 🙂

Today I drove to Washington, actually Washington (state, not Washington DC) is not far from Portland. Just across the Interstate Bridge, the Columbia River is floating underneath it, and there you are. I am walking two fashion shows this week in Portland and did my fitting in Vancouver today. I tried on a few dresses, showed off my walk and that was that. I haven't done a fashion show in a long time but when I lived in Vegas I did them now and then.
Some of the designer's dresses.



One of the dresses that I tried on today.



I brought heels for my fitting. I keep my heels in individual bags. Other things that I do to prepare for a fitting is to always shower (of course) beforehand. Cleanliness is imperative. If you put on deodorant make sure it is clear. I keep my hair down or up, so I bring a hair clip and I wear no make up. Hair and make up will be done the day of the fashion show.